Time
by OnceUponTwilight
Summary: Rachel feels like time is speeding in the four years that she has lived in Seattle. One second, she's driving away and the next she's driving back, the memories between an absolute blur. Once she's back, she's surprised when her life takes a turn when she meets Paul Lahote, a hot junior who is about four years younger.
1. The Beginning

**Hey guys, so this i****s the first part of the Twilight series that I hope to be starting. I wanted to start with Paul and Rachel because very little is known about their relationship, other than the fact that they imprinted on First Beach. There is going to be some slight changes to 'canon' (like Jacob and Renesmee, not a big fan, but I will agree that they could be cute). **

**There will also be no bitchy Emily. I hate when people make her bitchy unless the story calls for it. I believe that all of the imprintees were good girls, except for Rachel who will have her occasional times. There also might be a time where I might consider doing an older Renesmee story but that's only under consideration. **

**This is a main Paul/Rachel story though there is mentions of past Sam/Leah, Sam/Emily, Jared/Kim, and other imprinted couples. **

**Note: I have my OC, Alex Gordon-Black, in here. Her story with Embry Call will come at a later date. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of twilight though Alex is my own creation.  
**

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Time never seems to stop speeding during the time she's away from La Push Reservation. One second, she's driving away in her graduation robes with her sister, watching her brother and adopted sister in the rearview mirror. The drive to the edge of the reservation was a long one and before they left, the twin sisters caught a small glimpse of Leah Clearwater with Sam Uley.

Then Rachel's memories go into over drive and everything between the four years between visits sped like a blur before her eyes and the next thing she knows is that she's climbing back into the car that brought her to Seattle.

"We'll see you in a couple of weeks, right?" Josh asked. Josh was a tall man with a pale complexion and light freckles dotting his nose and cheeks. He was Rachel's old flame and a neighbor. They were starting to talk about getting back together when Rachel heard that her brother went missing. Rachel had other friends but they were all at work at the moment. She had planned it that way.

"Yes," she reassured him. Though she didn't sound reassuring, since she basically packed all of her things and moved out of the apartment. "A month at the most, my father just needs company at the res." Josh knew how uncomfortable it was for her to be back in the house that caused her so much pain.

"Just don't get kidnapped," He told her, referencing the previous summer's events.

"I _won't_," she said. "I'll see you when I get back." He smiled at her and watched her drive off. As she pulled away, she glanced up at him in the mirror. She was tempted to turn around but drove on towards her old home. Soon Seattle turned into fields of grass.

Rachel was leaving her life behind for her old one and she had no idea how she felt about that.

She made a stop in Port Angeles and pulled into an Italian restaurant parking lot. She went inside and got a table in the back. She had just gotten her drink when a group of men with two females walked in the restaurant. Or at least she thought they were men. Most of them were oddly familiar but she couldn't make out any of their faces but one.

Sam Uley. He spotted her not long after and excused himself from the group, kissing one of the girl's on the temple which caused the rest of the boys to gag, except for one who was holding the other girl. Sam walked over to her and looked down at her. Sam had grown taller and buffer since Rachel had last seen him, kissing Leah as she left town.

"Hello Sam," she said, with a small wave. He smiled and sat down across from her.

"Hey Rach, how was Seattle?"

"It was good, how's Leah?" Rachel figured she must've hit a sore subject because Sam tensed and avoided the question. Rachel and Sam were suddenly drawn back into their old banter, mocking each other back and forth while catching up about the past four years.

"Sam," a gentle voice said. Rachel looked up at the woman who approached and suddenly couldn't look away from her. She seemed to be the remains of someone beautiful but the three long scars on the right side of her face shattered her old image. Half of her mouth was permanently frozen in a frown though the other side was curled up in a caring smile. Rachel looked away once she noticed that half of the surrounding people were now eyeing her scars. "The waiter is here to order." Rachel glanced over to his table to see that they were all laughing wildly and not looking in their direction.

"Have you heard from-?" Sam started.

"No," the woman answered. The woman looked at Rachel and smiled a motherly kind of smile. "I'm Emily Young," The name struck a memory in Rachel's mind but she couldn't place it. "I'm Sam's fiancé."

"Nice to meet you, Emily," Rachel said. "I'm Rachel Black."

"Sam talks about you," Emily admitted. "Before you left, I'm glad to finally meet the woman who was the girly kind of athletic." Rachel laughed. "Well we better let you get on with your meal." Emily tugged Sam up and they had just begun to walk away when Rachel remembered that Sam was on the investigation.

"Hey Sam," she asked. He turned to her, stopping Emily. "Do you have anything on Jake?" He looked at her sadly and shook his head.

"We're sorry, Rach," Sam said. "We're all trying. Someone thinks he's in the woods though so we're all searching for him."

"Thanks Sam," Rachel told him. He gave her a smile before allowing Emily to drag him back over. Rachel hid her face and tried to stop the tears. She had lost her mother all those years ago and was so heartbroken that she left her only home for unknown Seattle with her twin. Then Rebecca met _Solomon _and got married, foolishly, before moving to Hawaii, leaving Rachel all alone again. Rebecca was so crushed to learn about Jake.

She couldn't lose him too.

"You ok, Rach?" she looked up to see a beefy man who looked oddly familiar. He was carrying a plate of spaghetti in his hand. He was tall and slender with long rounded muscles. His features seemed filled with sadness. He gave her a smile, causing the dimple on his chin to become more prominent. Rachel thought she knew who it was but took a wild guess.

"Embry?" she questioned. He smiled brighter, confirming. "Dear lord, what did your mother feed you?"

"Just some diamonds," he jokes, setting his plate down. He sat next to her. "Do you mind if I go back with you? I need to see Al about something."

"Al?" Rachel questions, slightly confused.

"Alexis," he corrects. "Alex Black,"

"Oh," Rachel nods, feeling stupid for not remembering.

"It's ok," Embry tells her as he spun a lot of spaghetti noodles around his fork. "You haven't heard her being referenced as Al." Rachel nods her head and they eat in silence. Embry manages to charm the waitress into getting Rachel a major discount and they leave before the manager can find out. Embry snatches the keys from Rachel's right front pocket (her signature bow key chain hanging from her pocket) and moves to get in the front seat.

"Hey!" she calls to him. He looks at her and laughs.

"It's alright," Embry tells her. "I have a license." She climbs in the passenger seat and looks ahead, talking about her life in Seattle with little prompting from Embry. She doesn't know how he does it but they make it to La Push in only thirty minutes. She looks out the window and watches the country fade into the town that she missed but was so longing to get away from.

Rachel felt like pushing Embry out of the car and racing back to Seattle where she would run into Josh's arms, kissing him like never before, making him promise never to take her back to the place where her childhood fell apart. But she knew she couldn't do that. For one there was absolutely _no _way she could overtake Embry. Plus her father needs her. She couldn't do that to him, not again.

Embry pulled into the driveway that already had several cars inside. Embry cursed under his breath but got out anyways. Rachel climbed out and looked around, noticing the black Rabbit and the rusty orange truck. She smiled at the last one, remembering how hard it was to cram four kids and a chief in the truck.

"Great," Embry muttered. "Bella's here."

"Bella?" Rachel questioned. "Bella Swan?" Rachel could vaguely remember when the girl would come up for a couple weeks to be with her father. She then remembered the following summer when Charlie would come over, upset because his daughter didn't want to come up to Washington. Rachel never could understand why anyone would do that.

"Yeah," Embry said. "She moved up here last year."

"What's she doing here?"

"You're about to find out." Embry walked over and opened the door. Shouts drifted out of the hallway and Rachel instantly wanted to get back in the car. Embry motioned her in and Rachel, reluctantly, walked down the hallway. Once she reached the living room, she was surprised to find Leah fighting with a girl with medium length bland hair. The differences between the two were crazy.

Leah Clearwater, one of Rachel's old best friends, was an exotic beauty. Though her hair had been cut to her shoulder blades instead of the waist length she used to have, Rachel still believed that her old best friend was in there somewhere. Leah wore a baggy sweatshirt and a pair of tight jeans. Her copper skin was alight in anger and her perfect eyebrows were furrowed in anger.

The other girl, Bella she guessed, was as plain Jane as a plain Jane would get. Her hair was straight and flat. She was pale but seemed absolutely livid. She wore a similar outfit. Her arms were flailing around in her fits of anger as though just keeping them tucked in her pockets wasn't enough for her to control her anger.

Both girls were arguing about the same thing.

Jacob.

"I don't care if he's your best man!" Leah shouted at Bella. "He's in complete pain Bella! He's not going to be back in time!"

"I'm just asking you to talk to him!" Bella said, pained. "He'll listen to you!"

"Since when?!" There was a sharp whistle and Rachel turned to see a girl with curly brown hair and pale skin standing in the doorway. Though only a part Quileute, she still had the looks of a Quileute from the way her hair flowed to the height of her cheekbones. Other than that, she looked like a normal pale American.

"Girls, calm down, this is not the way to greet my sister." Embry laughed, walked over and kissed her lightly. Leah smiled slightly as she realized that Rachel was in the room. Rachel had a feeling that Leah was absolutely broken as that was nowhere near an eighth of a smile she had seen her have on when she was with Sam. "Second, the wedding is two weeks away Bella, just give him some time. Third, lunch is ready." Embry opened his mouth to say something but Alex cut him off. "Yes I know, you and Rachel already ate. Quil called earlier."

"Of course he did," Embry muttered. Alex walked over to the hallway and shouted.

"Dad! The war is temporarily delayed! Food's ready!" Rachel watched as her father rolled out from the shadows. He saw her and smiled. Though her father was confined to a wheelchair, he still had the love and innocence of a young child. Rachel was glad for Alex, who had brought that side back in him with her taking care of him and Jacob after she and her twin had left.

"Rach," her father said, smiling wide. Rachel smiled, walking over to hug her father tightly. "It's so good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." She told hm. She feared for a split second that she might have sounded a bit convincing even to herself. Bella left fairly quickly after lunch because she had to get back to wedding planning. She invited Rachel to come and Rachel agreed that she would think about it.

After lunch, Rachel excused herself to go down to first beach alone. Plus she had a feeling that the fighting would resume after she left anyways except this time between Leah and Alex, who had been exchanging almost murderous glances all throughout lunch. She hoped that whatever harsh feelings had been dissolved by the time that she had gotten home.

She reached the beach and smiled as it was one of the only things on the res that seemed to have been kept the same since she left four – nearly five – years ago. Smiling, Rachel took off her sandals and began to roll up her jeans. She waded in the water until the water began brushing against the bottom of her rolled up jeans.

Rachel crosses her arms and watches the sun begin to stoop lower in the sky. She always liked to do this when she was younger. Then, she had her twin sister, Rebecca, and her mother who seemed to make enough for the family to live in the house they lived in. Then a sinking feeling came to Rachel. She began to realize that Billy has been leaning on Jacob and Alex's money though out the entire time that both she and Rebecca had been gone.

"You alright?" Rachel looked over her shoulder to see a boy standing on the beach not far behind where she stood. He was tall, taller than her by far, and seemed to have muscles that were aching to fly out of his shirt. "You've been standing there for a while," the boy noted.

"You been spying on me?" she questioned. He shrugged.

"I saw you when I was down there." He pointed a ways down the beach as Rachel waded out of the water. He met her and their eyes locked. Rachel caught a swimming pool of deep chocolate eyes. They stood there for what felt like eternity before they both seemed to snap out of it.

"I'm Rachel Black," she extended a hand. He smiled and took it in his grasp. His skin was a boiling kind of hot but it made all of her body warm up almost instantly.

"I'm Paul Lahote."

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**And there you have it. I hope you enjoy. I will have the next chapter up as soon as possible, though the next chapter may be my Once Upon A Time story. **


	2. The Drama

_Yeah guys, I'm sorry it took me so long to upload this. I actually wrote this like the day after I uploaded the first chapter and then, I forgot to upload it. I am terribly sorry about that. _

_Disclaimer: All rights go to Stephanie Meyer. _

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Chapter Two: The Drama

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When Rachel turned twenty-one on September 1st, 2005, Rachel celebrated with a night out with her three close friends, Haley, Courtney, and Jenny, getting absolutely wasted. Even if Rachel could concentrate real hard, she couldn't remember most of the night. She could remember getting to the club, making out with several guys on the dance floor, and waking up in a stranger's bed. She left before he even woke up.

But Rachel knew one thing, he was _hot._

Well, Paul Lahote was even hotter, on both physical levels. His skin was scalding hot against her own but after several times of their arms brushing as they walked and talked, she got used to the touch a little bit though it still slightly surprised her. Plus Paul Lahote was _very _muscular. Rachel didn't make that a large cause for her focus on dating but it was an added plus. He was also almost a head taller than her.

Paul and Rachel talked, really hitting it off to the point that Rachel's stomach growling was the thing that made them say goodbye and go home. Rachel was slightly disappointed to find out that Paul was a seventeen year old at the high school though that didn't stop Rachel from noticing the way that he looked at her, like she was the sun shining down on La Push, which was rare by any standards.

This made Rachel smile at just the thought.

"You're home late," Billy noted as Rachel tried to sneak inside quietly. "Leah's sleeping in Jacob's room, has been for a while, so Alex's got the guest room ready for you." Rachel looked at her father before heading into the kitchen. Billy rolled inside, his newspaper draped across his lap. "So is there any man in your life Rachel?"

"Dad!" Rachel exclaimed. Billy laughed as Rachel popped some hot dogs in the microwave. "No there is no man in my life! I've been focused on my studies." That was a lie. Rachel was always one week ahead of the class and went out partying every weekend, unless it was close to finals which then she stayed indoors to study because it would look bad if she was one week ahead and failed the final. But it seemed like a good lie because Billy believed it. "Do you know why Jacob ran?"

"No, I'm afraid that I don't." Rachel had the brief suspicion that her father was hiding something. But the sound of the door opening interrupted Rachel further asking.

"Hey, Billy, how are you doing?" a gruff voice in the other room said.

"Charlie?" Billy questioned. He turned around and rolled out of the room. Rachel quickly poured herself some coke and joined her father in the other room. Charlie Swan looked the same as Rachel remembered curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a mustache. He wore a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a thick jacket.

"Rachel," Charlie said, smiling, once she entered the room. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back, Charlie, I mean Chief Swan," Rachel corrected herself, giving him a mock salute as she did. He smiled brightly at her. Rachel gave him a half hug which he returned.

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Charlie said. "Billy hasn't shut up about you since he found out you were coming." Rachel laughed.

"How's the search for Jake?" Rachel asked him.

"We're expanding the search." Charlie informed her. "But we need you here at home to take care of your father."

"That's what I'm supposed to be doing." Rachel said happily.

"Bella sent me to collect your RVSPs," Charlie turned towards Billy. "Apparently, she forgot to collect them when she was over here earlier."

"RVSPs, for what?"

"Bella's getting married on the 13th,"

"That's fant–fantastically terrible. They are too young!" Rachel corrected her sentence when she saw the look on Charlie's face. Billy chuckled. "I'm sorry. I'm used to saying 'that's fantastic' to everything because my friends – yeah…" Rachel trailed. The phone rang shrilly in the other room and she took that as a sign to leave the room. "I'll go get it." Rachel moved to go back into the kitchen and sat down her food.

"Wait, Rachel," Charlie said. Billy rolled himself towards the phone. "Bella wants you to come to the wedding. She didn't ask me the reason."

"I would love too though we haven't been close since we were little." Rachel heard Billy pick up the phone and then talked in hush tones after someone answered back.

"It's ok." Charlie said. He looked towards the door where Billy disappeared and then leaned close. "I think that Billy would really appreciate it." Rachel had a feeling that her father _would _like her to come if Rachel was invited but Charlie only had asked Bella if Rachel could attend the wedding to see if Bella would second guess the idea of getting married at a young age.

"Tell Bella that I would love to come." Rachel told Charlie with a smile. Billy rolled in. Rachel noticed a tired look on his face as though the call was bad news. "Who was on the phone, Dad?" Rachel questioned. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Are you tired Rachel?" Billy questioned. Rachel raised an eyebrow and understood what it meant.

"A little bit," Rachel took the cue to leave. She picked up her food and smiled at Charlie. She planted a kiss against her father's cheek before heading towards the guest bedroom where Rachel found all of her clothes sitting in dressers. Rachel had to remember to thank Alex in the morning.

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Paul lived on the outskirts of the reservation, almost in Forks, with his father. The house was a two story house that had cracked panels on the outside which led to cold brisk winter air chilling the house to a reasonable degree in the winter. This fact used to bother Paul before he phased for the first time but now that didn't happen as much anymore. In the summer time, there was a garden out back but in the winter, the backyard was almost always avoided. The house had small rooms but was livable by Paul and his father's standards.

Paul returned back to his house to find his father passed out on the couch with his wife, Paul's step mother, Kathy, lying on top of him. He was glad to find them decent enough to wrap a blanket around themselves. He walked up the stairs to find his step sister, Katie, sitting on the steps looking down the stairs while holding her ears. Katie's long wavy black hair cascaded down framing her face. She stared at him with her electric blue eyes that popped out with her black hair and pale skin. Paul bent down to the thirteen year old.

"Are they done?" she whispered, frightened. Paul looked at her and felt like she knew too much for someone her age. Paul reached up and took her up in his arms, carrying her up the stairs bridal style. Katie crossed her legs over the other and wrapped her arms around Paul's chest, leaning her head against it. "I heard them downstairs and thought they were fighting."

"I understand," Paul whispered back. "It's alright. I'm sorry you had to see it."

"I caught the very end. I don't think they saw me," she answered. "I was too scared and scarred to go back up." Paul held her close. "Are you ok?" she looked up at him as he reached the second floor of their house. "I've been worried about you Paul."

"I'm alright Katie," he assured her. She reached to open the door to her bedroom. Paul carried her inside and sat her on the bed. She unwrapped her arms around him and cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Are you sure?" she pestered. Paul chuckled. Katie always had a sense of when someone was lying or not. For instance, when he first phased and disappeared for two weeks, she was the only one to question his disappearance. Sam gave him a little leeway on his Alpha order to tell no one after Katie's constant pestering almost put her in danger. She was the only one in his family who knew of his secret.

"I'm fine Katie."

"You look like a teenager who just got laid." Katie noted as she pulled her leather bound journal from underneath her pillow.

"I don't know about getting laid but I did meet someone though she's like twenty one so it's not going to work out." Paul told her, flopping on her bed. Katie laid down next to him and pulled the pencil from its holder while flipping to a fresh page in the book. "What are you doing?"

"As your step sister who is the only person to know your secret, I think I'm viable to being your therapist." A low chuckle came from Paul's chest. "Now spill,"

"Her name is Rachel Black." Paul sat up and turned to his step sister, surprised that he was going to spill this to her. "And she's my imprint." Katie gasped, looking at him.

"You imprinted?!" Katie said while trying to be as quiet as possible. Paul looked at her seriously. "I'm so happy for you." She hugged her brother around the neck and held him close. "I better meet her soon or I swear to god – what's wrong?" Paul's face turned deathly serious all of a sudden. Katie shuffled away from him having been warned by all the wolves and Emily already. She was almost off the bed already when Paul stood up.

"It's nothing," he reassured her. "Dad and Kathy woke up." Katie groaned and flopped back on the bed in exasperation. Katie was used to Paul calling her mother Kathy to the point that was what she almost called her own mother Kathy on several occasions.

"I love your hearing sometimes." Katie told him.

"You wouldn't like it if you had it."

"Oh really,"

"You should hear Alex. She has the hearing of a wolf." Paul answered.

"But she's not one,"

"Nope."

"Oh,"

Silence.

"So Rachel Black," Katie pestered. Paul smiled, like he was seeing the sun again. "Oh gosh, I love her already. Any girl who can make you smile like that is instantly my favorite." Paul chuckled. "Tell me all about her."

"If this becomes a story later, I'm going to murder you Katie," She shrugged and tapped her head. By the time that their parents had made their way upstairs, dressed, Katie had buried her face into Paul's chest with his arm securing her against his chest and bringing warmth to her body as well. Both were out cold, exhausted from the hour talk that they shared about Rachel Black.

* * *

Rachel could remember when her mother used to sing her and her twin sister to sleep. This was a time before they had adopted Alex so the three girls weren't all packed in one room. That was one of the remaining memories that Rachel had of her mother. Now, sitting on the guest bed, looking around, Rachel thought she could still hear her mother's calming voice.

She fell into a peaceful slumber and woke up alarm sounded sharply in her ear. It was all calm and happy before Rachel heard yelling in the living room. She got out of bed, shoved her feet into sneakers. She wandered down the hallway to find several people crowding in her living room. Paul Lahote and Emily were standing by Billy in his wheelchair, their backs towards her, while they watched the drama.

Rachel had an instinct to stay in the shadows.

"Leah!" Sam said, his voice trembling in rage, gripping onto Leah's arm. Her father rolled backwards slightly and his two companions followed. "You cannot go after him!"

"Why because you refuse to let me be happy?!" Leah snapped harshly in Sam's direction. Emily tensed up and Billy grabbed her hand, as though she was a daughter. Rachel wasn't surprised, her father was a father to anyone he encountered. "You imprinted on my cousin then left with no explanation, Sam! Why are you trying to further my pain?!"

"Leah!" Alex tried to counter but Embry locked his arms around her and pulling her in back into his embrace, protecting her. She looked up at him in exasperation but settled back into his arms.

"I'm trying to save you from more pain!" Sam snapped back. "We have all seen his thoughts. _You have seen his thoughts_. He loves Bella, Leah; you are only going to get yourself more hurt."

"You don't need to tell me that!" Leah snapped. Another man stepped forward, who Rachel could vaguely recognize as the man from the restaurant who was the only one to have a girlfriend with him other than Sam.

"Both of you calm down please," he said. "We cannot have this argument now. Jacob's sister is right upstairs and she doesn't know about the pack. Right?" Rachel's father nodded his head.

"I have not told either of the girls yet." He looked up at Emily who patted his shoulder.

"Well you should." Leah snapped. Everyone turned to her shocked, though Rachel's father looked up with closed eyes like he had been expecting this. "Billy, you and I both know that Rachel doesn't like to be lied too. She's going to react badly when she finds out that her brother ran away because Bella is marrying a vampire."

"Too late," the words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them. Paul and Emily turned sharply to look at her. Paul and Rachel's eyes locked together even though Rachel was still hidden by the shadows. Rachel felt more betrayed then ever and she didn't know why. She hadn't felt betrayed since Rebecca got married with Solomon under a month and moved away to Hawaii. But now, Rachel felt a deep betrayal and she didn't even know what was going on.

"Rachel?" Paul said. Rachel broke eye contact and stomped back into the shadows. She threw open the back door, daring him to follow her, as she headed towards the beach while the rain pounded on her shoulders. She only wanted to hear an explanation from one person though she didn't expect him to follow her.

But he did. Eventually.

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_Hmm... Interesting. Lol, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and promise to get the next one up quicker this time. _

_In the next chapter: We'll see a little bit of Rachel reconnecting her friendship with Leah, her interest in Paul, and the frustration of keeping this all from her best friend and twin sister, Rebecca Black, as Alex takes Rachel back to Seattle for dress shopping. _

_Or at least that's what I have planned. _


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